Welsh Conservatives Debate: Older People
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Recognises the vital contribution older people make to Wales's social and economic well-being and the importance of ensuring the rights of older people are reflected in Welsh Government policies and legislation.
2. Notes the publication of 'A Place to Call Home', a review by the Older People's Commissioner into the care of older people living in care homes in Wales;
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to work with the Older People's Commissioner to take forward the recommendations contained within the review.
4. Further calls on the Welsh Government to assess and specify minimum training requirements for care home employees which incorporate the principles of dignity and respect.
Janet Finch-Saunders
I move the motion.
On 26 October, the clocks went back, days became shorter and nights became longer. Even we are not too keen when that happens, but so many of the older generation in our society, day or night, day in, day out, week in, week out, face extreme loneliness, isolation, discrimination, poverty, vulnerability and exploitation. This is out of sync with the normalities of life that we take for granted, and this is through no fault of their own. By 2035, predictions are that one third of people living in Wales will be in this age category. We should be proud of our older generation, ever mindful of their important role in our society. These are the people who have brought us up, taught us, treated us and even fought for us and our country. It is imperative that the rights of our older people are reflected and enshrined as regards all Welsh Government policy, legislation and delivery. Growing old gracefully does not and must not mean that the contribution of our older people is over, and nor must we ever allow them to become the forgotten generation.
Many of the country’s voluntary services would not be running today if it were not for the dedication of many of the over-65s, with many of them having committed previous years of service and many still active. Our cherished grandparents alone save Welsh parents £259 million a year as well as providing comfort, support and guardianship. We must never allow any terminology or suggestion that these are a burden on our society. Too often, though, our elderly are referred to as bedblockers, and this is through no fault of their own.
Earlier this year, Age Cymru reported that 75,000 over-65s in Wales describe themselves as ‘always’ or ‘often’ lonely. Two in five say that their tv or pet is their main source of company. One in seven feels completely cut off from our society. Modern technologies and forms of new technical communication have exacerbated this problem. People of all ages are now expected to be fully computer literate, yet what does this Welsh Government do? It withdraws the funding and support for training and support in IT. The recent funding withdrawals by the Welsh Labour Government facing our rural communities that have been seen by our Welsh communities as regards public transport have led to many older people in these communities becoming even more isolated. Even services that are available across a constituency are forbidden fruit to those living outside the urban strip.
More must be done to ensure that our society and our Government value older people while appreciating their talents and experience. Age discrimination has no place in our Welsh society. Age Concern reports one of the driving factors behind this as the perceived start of old age. In Greece, people are not perceived as old until the age of 68. Those who have visited that beautiful country will have noticed that they very much cherish, respect, support and protect each generation and its individuality, yet, in the UK, age discrimination is far more prevalent and the average perception of old age is just 59. I am not looking around this Chamber.
Cold callers and the senders of junk mail are allowed to entice the recipient to buy what appears to be a bargain, yet can often turn out to be exactly the opposite. There are cowboy builders preying needlessly on those who live alone and welcome someone knocking on their door. In 2010, Cardiff estate agent Sean White was jailed for what was described as the systematic swindling of a dying old lady. He laundered £115,000 from Anne Cornock, a 76-year-old widow from the Vale of Glamorgan. Mrs Cornock’s son David said that Sean White and his friends had destroyed the last year of his mother’s life and that she was too ashamed and intimidated to tell anyone, which had a huge impact on her health. The family has never recovered from that. Age Cymru has been very proactive in its approach to these issues, but the Welsh Government must stand up to stamp out these horrendous practices.
The reality is that 84,000 older people in Wales are now living in poverty and 50,000 of them in severe poverty. This has a dramatic impact on what they are able to do or not do. Some 36% of retired households have reported cutting back on the amount and quality of food that they consume. There is a clear lack of awareness of their basic entitlements—£168 million of unclaimed pension credit. As a Welsh Government, what are you doing about this? Too many older people—[Interruption.] I know that it is not devolved, but you have a responsibility to ensure that the people of Wales receive their entitlements. It is called good governance.
Look at the difficulties faced by those requiring disabled facilities grants and improvements. In the time that I have been here I am aware of three inquiry reports, yet no improvement. Last year, the average wait was 326 days. It does not seem like you are in any urgency to sort those problems out. It is absolutely shameful and unacceptable. Disabled people must be given and allowed access to their own property, and they must be assured that they feel safe and that they are free from danger. How much is it to ask for this in the twenty-first century? Forty per cent of those aged 65 and over in Wales say that their health is either fair or poor, and one in six over-80s have dementia.
Illness, infirmity and the increasing prevalence of dementia mean that the Welsh Government has to start taking stock of its own priorities. Many of these people would be able to stay in their own homes with the right level of assistance and support, and the relevant qualified care workers. These people are able to enter into the homes of the elderly and the most vulnerable, and they do an exceptional job. However, the fact remains that there is a lack of regulation in this area and a lack of adequate training. I would ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to actually get to grips with this.
Sheltered accommodation is one way forward that we would all really like to see as a supportive means, yet there is not a one-size-fits-all case. Many still need the comfort and protection of residing in a care home. However, entitled ‘A Place to Call Home?’, the report by the older people’s commissioner, Sarah Rochira, has confirmed many of the worries about care homes felt by this side of the Chamber. It exposed the failure of so many care homes in Wales to provide for more than the most basic of older people’s needs and the homes’ total disregard for their own personal identity and individuality. That is shocking. Questionnaire responses include statements such as, ‘Since I’ve been here all my teeth have fallen out. I’m so ashamed and afraid to speak or smile’. There are descriptions of help at mealtimes as ‘being left to fend for oneself’. Too often, people are left in hospital without basic nutrition and hydration and basic support at mealtimes. Between 2003 and 2012, 1,158 residents of care homes in Wales and England suffered dehydration-related deaths. More must be done by the Welsh Government to ensure that reports are not written up in this way that Sarah Rochira has had to do, and spoken of in Plenary, and that recommendations are not followed in the new policy and outcomes.
Look at the 2012 health committee’s inquiry into residential care for older people. Little appears to have improved since then or there would not have been so many recommendations in the older people’s commissioner’s report. I would like to ask this: will the Minister advise how the Welsh Government will incorporate the recommendations put forward by the older people’s commissioner, so that we know, as Assembly Members, that these reports are not a waste of someone’s time and a waste of money, and actually not able to bring about change?
I would like to see all care home employees undertake basic dementia training, as recommended by Sarah Rochira; that there is an increase in staff numbers with the right skills to meet the physical and emotional needs of residents; and that the residents’ healthcare needs are fully met. Goodness me; that is the least that we can ask. Sarah Rochira concluded the review by saying that, in the years to come, the failure to act will expose public bodies and independent providers to litigation and reputational damage, and will increase pressures upon the NHS and social services. However, I feel that the failure to act will be a sad indictment of this Welsh Labour Government.
It is hoped that by specifying minimum training requirements for care home employees, residents will feel more respected and more valued. Enshrined in the United Nations principles for older people, adopted in 1991, older persons should have independence, remain integrated in community life, be self-fulfilled and have dignity. As Members, we will know, all too often, where this is not happening. The Welsh Government most uphold these principles and do more to combat the extreme loneliness, isolation, discrimination, poverty, vulnerability, exploitation and inadequate care of our older people in Wales.
As the older people's commissioner pointed out, there are still things that older people want to do and things that matter to them. These activities should not be hampered by a person's age, their frailty or where they live. The older people of Wales need our help. Their needs must be recognised and it is the Welsh Government that must act now to address them.